Editorial Cartoon

In the e-government frenzy, remember that about half the population is not connected to the Internet.

The National Telecommunications and Information Administration issued a study earlier this year comparing the wired and the unwired. NTIA found nonusers were:

The poor: 75 percent of those in households where income is less than $15,000 and two-thirds of those in households with incomes between $15,000 and $35,000.

Adults with little education: 60.2 percent of adults older than 25 with only a high school diploma and 87.2 percent of adults who have not completed high school.

Some minorities. For example, 68.4 percent of all Hispanics and 60.2 percent of blacks.

According to the study, the share of households with incomes below $15,000 that hooked up to the Internet increased by only six percent last year. The share of connected households with incomes of at least $75,000 rose 34 percent.

'Wilson P. Dizard III

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